Biotechnology ranges from traditional genetic engineering to the development of personalized medicine and synthetic biology, which modifies biological systems using a modular principle. Thanks to CRISPR-Cas9, DNA can be edited in a targeted manner, while biotechnological processes are increasingly being used in industrial production – whether for the manufacture of medicines, artificial organisms or even drugs. But where innovations sprout, there are also legal and ethical pitfalls.
Biotechnology not only opens up unimagined medical and economic opportunities, but also harbors considerable risks, particularly in the area of crime. I summarize this new dimension of criminally relevant offences under the keyword “BiotechCrime “.